Cape Town – Law Enforcement officers in the Muizenberg area are continuing their quest to rid the beach and streets of the suburb of opportunistic muggers.
Following up on Wednesday's arrest of three muggers, they arrested another suspect on Thursday who attempted to rob a female on the Muizenberg-St James walkway at 6.40am, the Metro Police said.
This after a video circulating on social media shows how a woman bravely tried to fight back against one of her assailants after two men made off with her bag while walking along Sunrise Boulevard just outside Evergreen Village in Muizenberg.
The footage was initially shared on Bosbeer/CapeTown, a Twitter account aiming to “keep people informed about the latest crime trends, news and breaking stories”.
The video has had over 90 000 views. It shows the woman walking presumably to work when a silver Mercedes-Benz A-Class, with the registration CA 96600, pulls up next to her.
Two men jump out of the vehicle and one grabs her bag while another chases after her for her cellphone. He grabs her, but she puts up a fight and drops her cellphone in the process.
The second assailant then picks up the phone and runs back to the car – the driver was already pulling away – with the woman chasing after him.
Robbery video. Happened Saturday morning Muizenberg. Cape Town. Lady on her way to work attacked and robbed. B. O. L. O for this Mercedes CA96600 @Abramjee @WCCC_ZA @SAcrimefighters @crimeairnetwork pic.twitter.com/nubwEWxx7j
— BOSBEER /CAPE TOWN (@BOSBEER2006) February 20, 2019
She grabs the back door but the car speeds off, leaving her next to the side of the road. She can be seen sitting down on the sidewalk, sobbing, while cars pass by.
No one stopped to help. One Twitter user, Sandile Wanda, remarked: “Wow to the car owners that went pass the lady as if they never witnessed nothing bad.”
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut confirmed a case of robbery had been opened on Tuesday, 10 days after the incident took place on February 9 at about 7.40am.
Commenting on the incident in Muizenberg, the City said: "An Auxiliary officer on bicycle patrol was alerted and he pursued the suspect, who attempted to flee. The suspect was caught on Muizenberg station before he could board a train.
"He was taken to Muizenberg SAPS and charged with attempted robbery and possession of a dangerous weapon. SAPS will investigate further to establish if the suspects are connected to other beach robberies in the area."